LABOUR were today (Wednesday) set to strike a deal with the Tories to retain control of South Lanarkshire Council.

Councillor Eddie McAvoy will again put himself forward as potential council leader at a special Labour Group meeting at the council’s HQ in Hamilton’s Almada Street today.

Labour won the biggest number of seats, 33 (up one on the 2007 result) at last Thursday’s elections to South Lanarkshire Council.

But they fell one short of an overall majority, meaning there is a hung council.

The SNP were the second largest party with 28 seats, with the Conservatives the big losers, returning only three councillors compared with seven five years ago.

The remainder of the 67-seat council will comprise two independents and one Liberal-Democrat councillor.

Labour party members were jubilant as the final result was announced at John Wright Sports Centre, East Kilbride, last Friday at 4.20pm.

Councillor McAvoy said discussions on forming the administration will take place soon.

“The Labour Group will appoint a leader and business manager,” he said.

“These two people will then start talking to the other groups to form an administration.

“I will put myself forward to lead the Labour Group.

“We will probably go with the Conservatives as we have a good relationship with them and they have good councillors.

“I might not agree with their Government’s policies nationally but can work with them at a local level.”

The Labour-Conservative administration isn’t new and has ruled South Lanarkshire over the last five years.

The Tories lost four seats at the election and have only three representatives on South Lanarkshire Council.

Tory councillors have admitted privately they were more willing to do a deal with Labour than the SNP.

Other options open to the Labour Group include a deal with the two independent councillors, Ed Archer in Clydesdale North and Graeme Campbell, a former Conservative councillor, in Avondale and Stonehouse.

This could prove problematic as councillor Campbell is openly opposed to the incinerator at Dovesdale Farm, which Labour councillors on the planning committee approved.

The last option open to the Labour Group is striking a deal with the only Liberal Democrat councillor, Robert Brown, the former Glasgow MSP.

The SNP failed to gain momentum from their stunning successes in the area at last year’s Holyrood elections.

The party returned 28 councillors to South Lanarkshire Council, four more than five years ago.

Opponents of the SNP said the party had arranged a meeting on Friday at 4pm to elect a leader to the council in advance of the election result.

Councillor McAvoy said: “The SNP were super-confident in telling people they were going to take control of the council.

“The even had this on their election leaflets.

“I don’t know where they got this confidence from.

“The people of South Lanarkshire wanted to stick with Labour.”

Disappointed SNP councillors held their meeting last Friday afternoon but it was only to elect the leadership of their Group on South Lanarkshire Council.

At the 30-minute meeting, Anne Maggs was re-elected as SNP Group leader, Jim McGuigan was elected deputy leader, replacing Hamilton West and Earnock councillor Graeme Horne, and David Watson was re-elected as the group’s Business Manager.

Councillor Maggs didn’t want to comment on any party split on her leadership.

“I said before the election that we would increase the size of the SNP group and at no point did I say that we would take over control of the council.” she added.

“We have the biggest SNP group of any council in Scotland.

“We will work hard over the next five years to make life difficult for the Labour council.”